What's The Difference Between An Orangery & A Conservatory

Orangeries are quickly becoming our most popular installation in the Lancashire area. However, there's often some confusion between an orangery and a conservatory. This article should help you when deciding whether to install an orangery conservatory in your home.

Orangery Conservatory Differences

When quoting for home extensions, we’re frequently asked the difference between orangeries and conservatories, particularly when homeowners are deciding whether a conservatory or orangery is right for their home. There is some confusion between the differences between a traditional conservatory and an orangery conservatory. For the most part, an orangery isn’t fully glazed like a traditional conservatory. An orangery conservatory is also installed with a roof lantern as opposed to a traditional glazed or partially glazed conservatory roof.

What is an Orangery Conservatory?

Orangery conservatory designs have roots in the renaissance gardens of Italy, historically they were used to protect citrus fruits from harsh winter winds in cooler climates. The roof on an orangery is always made from glass, to allow sunlight to pass through and lighten up the space. Over time orangeries have enjoyed a renaissance of their own, becoming increasingly popular as home extensions across Britain.

Orangery Roofing Systems

The orangery’s we install across Lancashire use a bespoke orangery roof lantern over a traditional conservatory roof. The roof lantern we choose is the Ultrasky Lantern by Ultraframe. The Ultrasky Lantern is a lightweight, durable structure made from double glazed panels and uPVC or aluminum frames.

Orangery Conservatory Walls & Glazed Wall Paneling

Orangery conservatories can be designed to your specifications. We can use existing brickwork to create synchronicity between your orangery conservatory and your home, or we can use super insulated columns. Super insulated columns are designed to be much more thermally efficient than brickwork, and create a more luxurious, extravagant extension. The super insulated columns are available in a range of over 200 RAL colours and the aluminium range can be given a metallic finish for a modern orangery conservatory frame work.

Traditional Conservatory Extensions

A conservatory differs from an orangery conservatory by the amount of glass used in the conservatory structure. Traditional conservatories typically have 70% glass, in windows and roofing, more than orangeries. For example, whereas the orangery conservatory has large pillars for a more ‘private‘ feeling, the traditional conservatory focuses more on double glazed windows and/or glass conservatory roof.

Glazed Roof Conservatory Extensions – Glazed conservatory extensions have moved away from the older conservatories of yesteryear. The old polycarbonate, plastic conservatory roofing is no longer used in most new conservatory builds. Instead we use Ultraframes Smartglass for glazed conservatory roofs. Smartglass allows for a living space which you can use all year round, with reduced glare and a range of tints available. The conservatory roof we install is the Classicroof by Ultraframe, which is a market leading technology for conservatory roofing.

Solid Roof Conservatory Extensions – A solid conservatory roof structure allows for a conservatory which feels closer to a full extension. Double glazed conservatory roof paneling can be added to achieve a more distinctive look, however they are structures which use Kingspan insulation and plaster-work to create an all year round living space. Solid roof extensions in Lancashire are typically used as kitchen extensions or additional living space for family homes. Essentially, you can use a solid roof extension for any purpose, we want our customers to think of their solid roof conservatories as additional rooms as opposed to just a conservatory.

Where Can I See More Conservatory Orangery Images?

We have image boards available on our Pinterest page as well as galleries available on Facebook & Instagram. Ultraframe UK also has a facility which allows you to save images to a digital scrapbook, perfect for creating inspirational collections before you decide on your conservatory orangery.